St. Charles superintendent's focus now is students in need

Says it's time mental illness received the same response as a physical one

December 18, 2012|By Kate Thayer, Chicago Tribune reporter

After last week's tragic and deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn., St. Charles schools Superintendent Donald Schlomann wants to do more than just make sure existing security measures are in place. Schlomann wants to embark on an effort to prevent tragedies like deadly shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary by finding out if any students in the district need help related to mental illness.

"The goal is to identify students who might be struggling and then provide them with the assistance they need long before they harm themselves, or others," Schlomann wrote in a letter to parents, explaining the initiative.

Schlomann said he isn't sure exactly what the endeavor will entail and is still working out specifics, but said it could be similar to the Summit 303 sessions three years ago that focused on suicide prevention. In that case, the community and staff gathered to create initiatives eventually passed by the school board, including placing a suicide prevention counselor in every school and creating staff training on how to ask students if they're contemplating suicide.

"Sometimes we have to be a little uncomfortable to be safe," Schlomann said.

Now, staff at the schools will come together to discuss students they believe are showing warning signs, which Schlomann said often is seen by the level a student connects with others in their community.

"It's not like we haven't been doing that, but what I want to do is maybe formulize that process so we're able to share with parents about their student, and know more about individuals," he said.

Schlomann said it's time mental illness received the same response as a physical one.

"If a student gets leukemia, we would be all over that student in regards to trying to get help," he said. "On the other hand, if a student has mental health issues, often that's hidden and put away and not talked about."

"I want to engage this community in a discussion about mental health, what it means for our students and how it plays into a larger picture for a healthy community," Schlomann added. "We owe it to the students who lost their lives to have that discussion."

Karen Beyer, executive director for Elgin's Ecker Center for Mental Health, said serious mental illnesses often have an onset during adolescence.

"Typically, what you see is when it starts with these kids is somebody who is very likely to be withdrawn and maybe someone described as odd or different by other people," she said. "Because there's such a stigma to mental illness, people who develop things like that – especially when they're still developing at a young age – are very unlikely to tell somebody about it and just manage however they can."

In general, the public lacks information on mental illness, and where to get help, Beyer said. However, there's been some advancements in community involvement and training, she said.

The Ecker Center will offer a training in January on Mental Health First Aid. The practice helps anyone identify warning signs for a mental illness, and how to give them support, Beyer said, adding several groups offer such training. The training is $25 and is next month at the Gail Borden Library in Elgin.

Despite some strides, Bernadette May, director of clinical services at Family Service Association of Greater Elgin – the Ecker Center's partner in Kane County – said there's still a long way to go. While the Ecker Center typically focuses on services for adults, May's organization addresses the needs of mentally ill children.

"There's a lot of fear associated with mental illness," she said. "It's fear of the unknown."

Often parents don't want their child's school to know if they have a mental illness diagnosis, May said, for fear their peers would find out.

"I hope that some of these things bring more awareness to mental health," she said.